Can Lions slow down Steelers' dynamic duo of Brown and Bell?

Can Lions slow down Steelers' dynamic duo of Brown and Bell?

The Detroit Lions are 3-3 and will take on the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

All their goals for the season are still attainable. After a Week 7 bye, the Lions are refreshed and refocused. However, they will have their hands full trying to slow down Pittsburgh’s two biggest weapons: wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell.

Brown is this year’s top receiver after seven weeks, receiving 52 balls for 765 yards and three touchdowns. Bell is the league’s second-leading rusher, with 684 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 4.0 yards per carry.

Le'Veon bell and Antonio Brown are 1st teammates since 1970 merger with 700+ scrimmage yards apiece in their team’s first 6 games of season.

Put them together and you have two of the best players at their positions on the same offense. Add in two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and you can see why this team is 5-2.

How can the Lions go about slowing down this prolific Steelers offense? That’s a question that probably keeps defensive coordinator Teryl Austin up at night.

The Lions are giving up 94.3 yards per game on the ground, which is good for eighth in the league. They struggle against the pass by comparison, giving up 244.2 yards per game (22nd in the league).

Detroit has a young defensive front, with second-year players A’Shawn Robinson and Anthony Zettel leading the way. Both players have been dominant at times in 2017 but weren’t as effective in losses to the Saints and Panthers.

In the secondary, the Lions are hoping for the return of Glover Quin, who has been fantastic when out there. Darius Slay has been pretty good himself, but as a group, they’ve struggled against some of the better quarterbacks this season.

Roethlisberger has always been a gunslinger that will turn the ball over but still finds a way to win. Big Ben has nine touchdowns to eight interceptions this year.

The Lions haven’t really faced a wide receiver as talented as Brown (Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t 100 percent in Week 2) or a running back of Bell’s caliber (David Johnson was injured early in their Week 1 matchup).

Detroit will have an amped up home crowd on its side. And we all know Ford Field can get as loud as any venue in the league. Any way you slice it, the Lions’ defense will have its work cut on for it on Sunday night.